I had a recent blessing come into my life, one for which I am extremely grateful. I have been talking to wonderful girl on campus for the past 2-3 months, and we officially started dating a little over a week ago. I am happy beyond what I am able to express at the moment. Perhaps one day I will be able to translate feeling into word. God is good, and He continues to richly bless me beyond what I deserve.

- Ryan

Tags: Charity, fun, Life

Please accept my humble apologies for my poor success rate in the blogging sphere as of late. But, for what it's worth, here is a brief encapsulation of my journeys, littered with a healthy helping of pictures. I'm essentially going to let the pictures tell the story and commentate as I go along. If you would like to see more pictures, I have posted many more on my Photography page.

I headed out Monday for Holland, MI, which is right on the shores of Lake Michigan. On the way I stubled across this beuatiful but abandoned church off an exit I happened to stop at.



A little sad, actually.

I then arrived in Holland right at sunset. It was beautiful!


A rather common scene around the lake.


The lighthouses were stunning!


Looking out at the pier.


A storm had just came through before I got there and the lake was in turmoil. It gave a whole new meaning to me of waves "crashing" against the shore!


Some shores are pure sand, but a lot of them have these smooth rocks mixed in as well.


A seagul feather I found right at sunrise in the sand. It still has the dew on it.


This was the standard foot attire during the trip. It's kind of hard to get that much sand out of a regular pair of shoes


I camped that night right near the shore and headed out early the next morning. I stopped off at a state park and walked up the beach until I found this sand dune. For no reason in particular I decided it would be a good idea to climb it just to see if I could do it. It was hot, very steep, and you slid 1/2 step back for every step you took forward, but it was worth it!


Here is a view from the top of the sand dune. Coming back down was so much fun! It felt like flying.


My next stop was this light house about halfway up the Lower Peninsula. It happened to be open that day and you could climb to the top for $2. It was definitely worth it!


It was such a steep climb! I literally hugged the steps in front of me on the way up because you have to stay in the center. Just a little bit scary.


120 steps later, I arrived!


The view was amazing!


Yep, and it felt it


I ended up in Traverse City that night. Again, I arrived right near sunset, set up camp, and snapped a few pictures before bed.


My campsite in Traverse City.


I ran across this cool little chapel along Highway 31. I walked in to hear someone reading from Psalm 91, which I had memorized once in school. Pretty cool.


At the 500 mile mark. A little under half-way through my journey.


That was my destination for the day, Mackinaw City.


I became very well aquanted with this highway! I traveled it a good portion of the way up the west coast.


A cool little store that I found just south of Mackinaw. They had good butter pecan ice cream! The dog was unusually friendly too.


Just getting ready to cross the bridge. It's about 5 miles across.


Going under one of the spans.


I love the Upper Peninsula! It's so beautiful, and untamed.


A piece of driftwood I found along the lake.


This was about 200 yards from my campsite on the Tahquemenon River. It was... beyond words beautiful that night!


What I wouldn't have given to be the person in that kayak!


Definitely one of my favorite photo shoots.


This guy pulled out an 18" lake trout on his second cast. Wanna go fishin'?


It was right at sunset.


One of my favorites from the trip.


It was kind of hard to take a 'bad' picture under these beautiful conditions.


The same scene at sunrise.


I had to laugh when I read this sign


My next stop were to the Tahquemenon Falls where I rented a row boat and took it over to the island where you can get the best view of the falls.


You could get much closer than I expected. It was pretty cool!


Another shot of the Lower Falls


I then drove up to the Upper Falls a few miles away.


I knew Michigan was beautiful, but I didn't realize just how beautiful until this trip. I'm especially fond of the UP.


I love cloud-cover like this! It makes for some neat pictures.


Why not?


I can't remember which lake this is. Either Lake Michigan or Superior.


Another of my favorites. This was at a little lake near the bottom of the UP.


A black and white shot. I love using that setting on my camera


Getting ready to cross back over the bridge to meet my Mom in Mackinaw City.


A shot of the bridge from the campground we were staying at.


There was a harvest moon that night. Stunning! I need to work on my moon shots, though. This really doesn't capture how beautiful it was!


A night shot of the bridge with the stars just beginning to peek out.


My Mom and I headed over to Mackinac Island on Friday. Probably my favorite vacation spot of all time We came here every year growing up.


There are no motor vehicles allowed on the Island, and they happened to have an antique bike show that day. Ironically enough, it was a bicycle club from my hometown and we knew a couple of the members.


My transportation of choice for the Island. I rented it for 3 1/2 hours and enjoyed to the hilt!


Looking up at Ach Rock on the Island.


This is the half-way point on the bike trail that runs on the outskirts of the Island (it's about 8 miles around). It's calld British Landing as this is where they attacked the Island when they conquered it during the war. Quite a story.


My family loved to ride the bike trails up in the middle of the Island growing up. I was a little young then, but I made up for it this year! It was definitely the "road less traveled"! This was one of our favorite trails, Murray Trail. My legs ached like none other when I crossed the 3 hour mark but it was worth it!


Halfway through the Murray Trail.


There are some pretty steep and, dare I say, dangerous parts of the trail. There was a 300' dropoff just to the left of this shot. Fun stuff!


A quick shot of the Governor's Mansion, where the governor of Michigan stays when he or she is on the Island. She wasn't there that day


A typical shot down mainstreet. Lots of bikes and lots of horses


A friend of ours who rode his antique bike 75 miles around the Island (that's over 9 times around) that day. He must have the leg muscle of a superhero


Dismounting from the bike.


Our ferry of choice, the Arnold Line.


We passed this mammoth yacht on our way out of the bay. It's for rent if you're interested


A quick shot near the base of the bridge.


I love all the wild flowers that grow in such abundance in Michigan.


A little closer.


Just me near the bridge.


My Mom and I went on a walk and I snapped a this picture along the way.


A closeup night shot of the bridge.


It was a little foggy that night which added a cool effect, especially in black & white.


We were also lucky enough to see some fireworks they set off in St. Ignace, right across the bridge in the UP.


One last shot for the night.


A lighthouse that is not in use anymore. However, they still keep it up as a historical site.


We took a cruise Sunday night (a free Christian cruise where they sing hymns, preach a short message, and take you on a hour and a half cruise under the bridge). Defintiely a highlight of the trip.


It allows you to get some really unique shots of the bridge.


A buoy near the bridge.


Another shot under the bridge.


The sunrise the day we left.


I've never seen a rainbow in a sunrise. You can see it on the left. It was remarkable.


A closer shot of the rainbow.


One last shot before we headed out.

Well, that pretty much sums it up. My journey took me nearly 1,100 miles up the west coast of Michigan, and back down the center of the state. It was definitely a trip to remember. God was real. He blessed me with awesome weather and photographic conditions, and I gained a new awe at the splendor of God's creation.

-Ryan
P.S. Please note that only 2-3 of these photos have had any editing done to them, so please be gracious in your critique
P.S.S. For those interested, these photos were shot with a Canon 40D DSLR camera using two lenses, the Canon 18-55mm and the Tamron 28-70mm 2.8.

Tags: fun, Photography, West Coast

Tags: Summer, fun

I've made it back safe and sound. The trip to Ireland was...indescribable. One of the most rewarding and life-changing events I have ever experienced. It has given me a new understanding of just how large the family of God is. It's one of those things that you hear about through sermons and missionary talks, but until you see and interact with the people yourself, you just don't get the full effect. There are thousands of Christians in Northern and Southern Ireland that love God and are pleading for ministry. The choir has rarely sang to a more receptive and hungry people. They had been praying for months preceeding our visit, and they came with a spirit of expectation, ready for God to pour out his blessing, conviction, and presence; and God was faithful. His presence was so tangibly evident not only on the faces of my fellow choir members, but by the congregation as they enterd into worship with us. The people of Northern Ireland are often very stoic, they are the first to tell you that, but you often never would have known it. You could see by the joy they expressed that Jesus was not merely an ideal, not just a religion, but a vivavcious and living relationship with their personal Savior.

It is often called the Emerald Isle, and it definitely lived up to its name. Everything was lush green. I have never seen so much beauty in so short a time. Just when you thought you had seen the most beautiful place possible, they take you somewhere new, and you are once again amazed at just how creative God is. I took thousands of pictures, but they all fall short of capturing just how magnificent it was. I have put quite a few pictures on the New Photos page.

I will never forget the many friends and memories that I made on that trip. I continue to be in contact with some of the people that I met over there. Perhaps in the future I will create a day-by-day account of our experiences, but, for now, enjoy the pictures

- Ryan

Tags: fun, Photography, Ireland, Friends

We arrived safely in Dublin this afternoon, and spent a very fun afternoon downtown shopping/touring. So much fun! We fly out tomorrow at 2:00pm. Kinda sad... I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here! Well, it's nearly 3am here, and I better get some sleep. I will update more soon.

- Ryan

Tags: Ireland, fun, Friends

I write this as I sit in a train station in Northern Ireland. It's our last day it this beautiful country. We are now headed down to Dublin, and one more service before flying out tomorrow morning. We're all a little sad. It was hard to leave all of our friends here. I can't remember a time when I've had more fun than these past eight days. I certainly took a lot of pictures, but you really can't capture the beauty here. It's something you have to experience yourself. But it's not only the sights, it's the people. They are some of the friendliest that I've ever met.

Tags: fun, Photography, Friends, Ireland

I can't believe I'm leaving for Ireland tomorrow! It's really crept up on me. In fact, it crept up so fast that I'm just now starting to pack Oh well, it'll get done. I'm trying to stay up late tonight so I will sleep on the plane tomorrow, and thus reduce some jet lag. The flight leaves at 4:00pm tomorrow, and it will be 8:00am when we arrive. Fun stuff! I'm really looking forward to it. I'm going to take a ton of pictures, that's for sure. I will try and update when I'm over there. We'll see how it goes. Well, back to packing.

- Ryan

Tags: Ireland, fun, Friends

IHC 2009 has come and gone. I love IHC! I've been every year I can remember. It's definitely a very busy time these last couple years, but lots of fun. For some more pictures go here. Sorry, I would post more, but I simply don't have time. With finals 11 days away I'm afraid I have some serious amounts of homework to get caught up on.

- Ryan
P.S. Thanks to my awesome cousin Amanda for taking this picture, and the picture of the GBS choir. It's kind of hard to be in the choir and take pictures at the same time

Tags: Photography, IHC, Family, fun, Busy

That, was fun!

Tags: Friends, fun

Last Saturday I went out to Starbucks in the evening to work on some homework and drink a hot chocolate (my usual drink of choice). Things started off fairly normal. I ordered my drink, sat down, and began to drudge my way through some back collateral reading. I was sitting behind this older gentleman, probably mid to late 60s, and I was amused (so shoot me) as I watched him get more and more perturbed with a group of young people (probably 24-25 years old) who were sitting off in the corner just enjoying each others company and laughing. At one point he turned around and looked at me and muttered in a thick Russian accent, "They're a bunch of nuts over there!", along with a few other things I couldn't understand. I just smiled, and politely nodded, but was rolling with laughter inside. As the group was leaving, one of the girls stopped to talk to him. Let's just say, he was not quite polite I felt bad for her, and her group. They turned out to be Jehovah's Witnesses, and they gave him a Watchtower Magazine before they left, which he was not too thrilled with. He then turned around and struck up a conversation with me about the whole ordeal. I was very happy to inform him that God's Bible School & College was absolutely not a subsidiary of the Jehovah's Witness Organization . We then talked about the riots of '67 in Detroit, religion, his family, Starbucks, and the list goes on. I found out his name was Jim, and he was originally from Bulgaria. We were eventually joined by his friend, David, from Cincy. The topic again moved to religion, and I was able to live out for them and explain what I believe true Christianity is like. We talked for nearly 2 hours about a myriad of topics. All the while, I was sensing that this was where God wanted me that night.

So, there we were, an Eastern Orthodox, a Catholic, and a Wesleyan Arminian. We had some in common, and many differences, but I am grateful for the opportunity that God placed in my Saturday evening to represent Him in a way that that was glorifying, enjoyable, and left a good taste for Christ, and the holy life in their mouth. It is truly an honor to live the Christian life. To witness for Him. To tell others about Him. We have been given much, and much we should share.

Ryan

Tags: fun, Homework

Last Saturday was extremely foggy in Cincinnati, and not having gone on a shoot in a while, I was getting antsy. So, I bundled up, and headed out to Ault Park. It was beautiful! I met a guy who laughed and said, "There's probably not much to take pictures of is there?" I replied that this is one of my favorite conditions to shoot under. You can get some really surreal looking shots when it's this foggy. It was so bad I couldn't even see past 20' in some places. After a while the fog lifted, and things returned to normal, but, all in all, it was an afternoon well spent. I had fun, and got a few fun shots. Enjoy!

Tags: Photography, fun

Thursday evening, I came back to school to find Isaac setting up some lights for making a movie. I couldn't resist helping out, and some unexpected things happened. Let's just say, after the production of this movie, I literally laid on the floor laughing hysterically!! For a very fun (and short) ad-lib video, involving Isaac, Sam, and I, go to Isaac's blog here, and watch the "Shoulder Angels" video. Let me know what you think.

Ryan

Tags: fun, Politics, Movie

We had a surprise birthday party for my Mom yesterday at my Grandpa and Grandma's house in Waynesfield, OH. I will gracefully brush past the potentially uncouth age question, and simply state that it involved black balloons. It was a lot of fun. My brothers both came down/over for the event, as well as other family members. I got to see my newest neice, Jayla, for the first time! She is so cute. It runs in the family just kidding. I was able to take a few snapshots of my family as well. The product of said snapshots is evidenced below.

Missionary Convention started tonight with Don Richardson, author of Peace Child. It was fascinating! I was spellbound. If only I could speak like that (as I hear echoes of 2 Cor. 10:12 telling me not to compare myself). It should be a really good convention!

For those of you, who would be so kind, please pray that I can get caught up on my homework. This week is going to be extremely busy, and I am 6' under before I even start. I could really use some divine enabling!

Ryan

Tags: Family, fun, Photography

I was just getting into bed yesterday morning (12:30am) when my friend Shane called me and asked if I wanted to go on a trip to IHOP. It seems that he and my other friend, Brandon, had tons of homework to do for the next day, and thought IHOP would be a conducive place to do it. It sounded good to me, so off we go, traipsing through the night at 1 in the morning to IHOP. You know, you see some interesting sights at IHOP at 1am...most of which you wish you hadn't...'nuff said. What better way to spend the very early hours of a Friday morning than eating pancakes and laughing with friends? You would be amazed at what you find amusing at 1:30-2:00am So, after the food, we got down to homework, and hacked away till about 3:00 when our adrenaline began to wane. We looked a sight. We finally headed back to GBS a little after 3, and made the unduly laborious trek up to the colossal height of the 5th floor. I crashed around 3:30, and got back up at 6am for my 7am class. It was a most unique feeling. I went through the class in something akin to a stupor. Perhaps, "languid" or "lethargic" would be a better adjective (well, technically, a better object of a preposition, right? No. Any English majors?). It was a strange experience. Thankfully, I was able to power nap right after that, because I didn't have a class for another 50min.. But, all things considered, it was worth it. It's like my Mom said, "Enjoy it while your young, because if you do that when you get old, it'll mess you up for three days."








No wonder everybody was looking at us funny

Ryan

p.s. In case you can't tell, I haven't yet recovered from my depravation of sleep, hence my scatty prose. Mr. Profitt would not be impressed...

Tags: Homework, fun, Friends, IHOP

Today was the annual Fall Picnic here at GBS, and it was a gorgeous day for it! It was nice and sunny, but not too warm. I started off with my camera permanently enmeshed with my hand, but eventually broke away from that for some fun of a differnt nature. Frisbee was a highlight of the day, as well as sand volleyball (we dominated ). The food was good, as always. However, I am now being plagued with angst due to my lack of completd homework. It's really beginning to pile up. So, I stand at the scales so many college students face. Was the social enrichment worth the shortfall of completed homework? Do you create good memories, or get an A? I guess it all comes down to a balance between the two (how did you like that cop out ). Oh well, I guess I will stop philosophizing about it, and just do it. If you would like to see some photos from the day, I have posted some here under "Fall '08 Semester".

Ryan

Tags: Relax, fun, Picnic

A lot has happened over the past few weeks, and, unfortunately, I don't have the time to give a lot of details about it all. So, I will resort to a much quicker (and easier for you) way, pictures! Thanks for reading/viewing.

I've been spending a lot of time over at my brothers house. We played a game of chess the other day for the first time in a while. It nearly ended in a stalemate because we think so much alike we anticipated each others moves. Katie officiated, of course .


Our church had its VBS with the theme "Custom Built Garage". I helped out where I could. It was a lot of work for those involved! But rewarding.


Mom and Kara (my sister-in-law) planned a secret excursion for Jason and I last Saturday, and we just had to be along for the ride and guess what came next. It was a blast! Our first stop turned out to be a train ride in a nearby town. I have lived in Adrian for 21 years, but I've never actually ridden the train. Katie loves "Thomas the Train", so she was in heaven. It was a really fun experience.


We then went out for ice cream and a cool place called Handels Ice Cream, and then headed back to Adrian for our final stop. Those of you who know me know that I dearly love to ice skate! And I was overjoyed to find out that was our destination as we neared the ice arena. They dropped off Jason and I, and went to pick up a few groceries while we skated. The place was nearly empty, and so I had some freedom to try a few new things. I'm slowly improving.


A couple days later we went back over to Jason and Kara's for a very good meal, followed by one of my favorite deserts, homemade sugar donuts!! I can eat these things till I'm sick!


Last Thursday, my cousins, aunt, and grandma came up for another ice skating excursion. Again, a lot more fun!


I am now writing this (somewhat hurriedly) from my Uncle Dan's house for my cousin Amber's birthday party. Her boyfriend, Seth Fish, and friend Amber Petty, are also here to help celebrate. It has been a blast!

Clayton goofing off.


Making pizza rolls for dinner


Seth


Amber


Amber


Their very spoiled (and aristocratic) dog, Buddy.

Well, it's after midnight and I need to get to bed. I will try and post a more substantive post at a later date. Have a good day.

Ryan

Tags: Summer, Family, fun

Here is another thing I can check off my list of life goals...kill a bat. Here's the story. I was working steadily away at my job around 11pm last Thursday when I suddenly get two text messages from my Mom. The first says, "a bat is in the house" the second says "frantic!" I bust out laughing!! In fact I walk down the hall laughing loud enough for probably all of my coworkers to hear. I, of course, being the good son I am , leave work immediately to make the 15 min. trek home to rescue my "frantic" mother from her ferocious nemesis. She had, of course, by this time barricaded herself in her room. I love to play racquetball, and I happened to be carrying my racquet in the trunk of my car, along with some old towels. So, I cautiously walk into the house armed with my racquet and towel. Then, I spotted it. It was hanging from the ceiling in the living room.


So, I paused long enough to take a few pictures, and then, went to work. I twirled up the towel, and 'snapped' it at the bat. It, of course, took off flying around the house. I ducked several times as it flew above my head, it was great fun! It then made a most grievous error. It flew down the hall, and then headed straight back toward me. And there I stood, racquet in hand, ready for the assault. I recalled all the skills I had gained in my love of racquetball, and with one deft overhanded slam, sent the foul fowl to its death. It bounced off my racket, hit the wall, and landed in the chair, never to rise again. Using the towel I picked it up, and deposited it outside. Mission accomplished.


Ryan - 1
Bats - 0
Bring it on!

Ryan
P. S. I hope you have enjoyed my slightly dramatized account of this infamous incident in the Watters' household

Tags: fun, bat

I had an accident. I left a bottle of hand sanitizer in my car, and it, and due to high temperatures, melted and ran all over in my change dish. Because this happened at GBS, I was too busy studying to take care of it immediately (hey, do you have a better excuse? ) and it sat in there for...a while. It corroded the coins and something, I don't know exactly what it was, was produced all over the coins. I really wasn't sure how to clean up the coins after I got home from GBS, and we didn't have the right cleaning supplies, so I decided to put it to the ultimate test, and submerge them in a bowl filled with coke overnight. The results were...disturbing. It cleaned off probably 60-70% of the unknown substance from the coins! I wish I had take "before" pictures, but here are a few "after" shots.



Enjoy your next glass of Coke!

Ryan

Tags: fun, Test, Coke

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from Choir Tour '08. It would take too much time out of a busy college student's life (with a huge Life of Christ test Monday, I might add) to narrate each of these pictures. So I simply post them for your viewing enjoyment. However, if you wish, you might try narrating them yourself, I'm sure that could be quite amusing

Ryan

Tags: Photography, fun, Choir, Friends, Concert, Crazy

It has been an action packed beginning for the '08 GBS Choir Tour. We left at 7:40 am Thursday morning under very cold conditions. I eventually fell asleep and woke up a few hours later to see the front window of the bus covered in a solid sheet of ice. So, the bus crept along at a the rate of a sloth before all traffic eventually came to a dead halt. The entire road was a solid sheet of ice! Ahead was a hill that under normal conditions was small, but, covered in ice, proved insurmountable. There was a semi in the ditch, a car in the other ditch, and traffic as far as the eye could see. A group of us actually got out and "ice-skated" down the I65 freeway in Kentucky.




We were stuck there for about 3-4 hours before we eventually turned around and headed back to a truck stop to eat. It was packed! There were all kinds of people. In fact, there was a group of people from Campus Crusades for Christ there. We got to talking to the representative, and he told me that he was traveling with Andre Cole, the Christian illusiionist, and that he was sitting in the back booth. I found this so ironic as I had went to one of his shows about 10 years ago at the Christian Family Center. He is the one circled in the picture below.



We barely got to the service in time. We actually didn't even have time to change or set up risers or PA equipment. And so we sang, just as we were. But, the Lord came, and we had a tremendous service. After getting all packed up after the service we got on the bus and headed out. Unfortunately, we never made it out of the parking lot. After cutting a corner too sharp the back passenger tire ended up in a ravine, suspended off the ground. So, out go all the students and the guys get on the back of the bus and tried (in vain) to push it out. Alas, we returned to the church, hopelessly defeated. It was fun though just sitting around playing games, and talking.


A wrecker was called in and eventually the bus was loosed and we were on the road again. We got into Pell City, AL about 2 am Friday morning. The good thing was we got to sleep in the next day. What a blessing! We left at 7 am this morning from Pell City, and we are headed to Ocala, Florida. We have very nice weather so far, and you certainly don't need a coat! In the words of Mr. Davison, "We're suffering for Jesus!" Well, we stop in 11 miles to eat at (what else...) McDonalds. It seems that's all we ever do on tour, eat, eat, eat. I will try and post more later. See yah.

Ryan

Tags: GBS, Personal, Photography, Relax, Choir, fun

A few weeks ago my Grandparents came up for a visit and we went to Kelly's Island (around Port Clinton, OH). For those of you who have never been there, you ride a ferry over and then rent a golf cart and ride around the island and look at the beautiful scenery. It's really a lot of fun, especially for a photographer! Enjoy!

Tags: Grandparents, Kelly's Island, Photography, fun

I ran across this little toy in Cracker Barrel the other day, the gyroscope. I remembered how much fun I used to have with them growing up, and since it was not that expensive I picked one up. They still fascinate me! If you've never seen one in action there quite a marvel! They will balance on just about anything. My fellow INTJ'ers (see previous post here) would probably also take a special interest in this toy simply to try and understand how it works. The simple mechanics of it is to simply thread the string around the axle and then pull the string off hard which makes the inward wheel spin at a terrific speed. This makes the gyroscope balance so well. I guess this is physics at work. For more pictures go here. Enjoy!

Ryan

Tags: Toy, fun, Gyroscope

Happy Independence Day everyone!

Ryan

Tags: Photography, Fireworks, fun

What have I been up to so far this summer. It's really quite simple. I can actually put it in one word. Work! I'm working one full time job, and I'm thinking about looking for a second part time job. Fun, fun. Oh well, you gotta live I guess. But, yeah, that's my life right now. Sleep, eat, work. Then repeat.... I will, however, be participating in my good friend, and pastor, Michael's wedding on Saturday. I have to go pick up my tux on Friday. It should be fun! I'm excited for him. If you haven't noticed, I haven't posted very many pictures lately. I do apologize for this, and I will try and take some more photos to post soon. Well, I guess that's all for now. I hope your summer is going well! See yah.

Ryan

Tags: Summer, Life, fun, Break

\
School is officially over TOMORROW! And the student's of God's Bible School & College are getting a little stir crazy! We want to go home! Ahh, the countdown begins...13 hours, 41 minutes, 55 seconds.....54 seconds..... 53 seconds.....

Ryan

Tags: Last day, GBS, Crazy, fun, Break

Student Council had a special event today where you could go to one of four events, and they would reimburse you up to $20 for any expenses that you incurred. You can't pass up an opportunity like that! So, Megan and I went with a group of about eighteen GBS students to the Cincinnati Zoo. We had a wonderful time! The weather couldn't have been any better, and we got a parking spot about 20' from the entrance. It was a nice zoo, with lot's of exhibits. I think one of our favorite exhibits was of some small penguins. We had a blast just watching them, and trying to analyze/commentate what they were doing. "Mutiny!" "Retreat! Retreat!" "World domination!" were just a few of the expressions that were clearly evidenced by these 'cute' little penguins... After leaving the zoo most of the group then went to Outback Steakhouse and enjoyed a delicious meal. Everyone had an awesome time. To see some pictures from the zoo, go here, and scroll to the bottom of the page. I hope this tradition is continued!

Ryan

Tags: Zoo, Friends, Photography, fun

Tuesday was the annual GBS Spring Picnic, in which there are no classes for the day and all the faculty, staff, and students go to a nearby park. It was a beautiful day! There were many activities. From softball and footbal to unicycling and rowboating, we had it. I spent a long time out on the lake with Megan and a couple of friends rowing around. We were occasionally 'attacked' by some fellow GBS'ers who were the 'pirates' of the lake and went around stealing peoples shoes off their boats and delivering them to other GBS'ers. It was a lot of fun! If you would like to see some pictures of it simply go here. Enjoy!

Ryan

Tags: Picnic, fun

Here are a few random pictures that I like from Choir Tour. I will post more later. Enjoy.

Ryan

Tags: Choir, GBS, fun

Could it be? Another snow day?! YES! God truly is good to the students of GBS We received word tonight that because of the layers of ice that coat everything there will be no school tomorrow. I can not express to you how much ice is covering everything. They warned us this afternoon that if any of our cars are parked under trees we better move them because the branches are beginning to break. It is absolutely treacherous to go down the ramp to the dining hall! In fact, one student simply sat down and without any pushing glided down. There are also 60,000 people in Cincinnati without power! I pray that it doesn't hit us! Well, tomorrow will be yet another day of homework that I still didn't get caught up on today. It's a vicious cycle. If you're in this storm stay inside, and stay safe.

Ryan

Tags: Snow, Ice, fun, GBS

I did something yesterday that I have never done before, I went skiing! Yesterday was the group ski where a bunch of people from GBS get together and go skiing. So, with some coaxing from a friend (thanks Zack) I consented to go. I admit to being slightly trepidatious about injury to my person, but I pushed past my fears and had a wonderful time! The ski lodge was extremely crowded, in fact I had to borrow a friends ski polls at first because they did not have any left. After a couple times down the Bunny Hill (what a derogatory name!) my teacher felt I was adequately prepared for a more challenging hill, one requiring a ski lift. After reaching the top (and nearly falling on my departing of the lift) I stood at the top of what seemed to me to be a precariously steep hill. However, with a little coaxing and coaching I soon began my descent. I was actually not doing too bad when all of a sudden, it happend. My skis went out from under me and down I went! Thankfully it was an easy fall and I was soon back on my feet and laughing at the sight I must have been. After a while she took my poles away from me, which turned out to be a good thing since it is easier to keep your balance. All in all I only fell four times, which I felt wasn't too bad for a first timer. By the end of the day I was taking a moderately sized hill without any problems. So, what did I learn from today? I learned that I absolutely love skiing! This is definitely something I will continue!

Ryan

Tags: Ski, Relax, fun, Friends

Credit for this blog goes to Jon Bart at www.jonbart.com. He has a blog on his site today that brought much laughter to my afternoon. It is a link to a compilation of Calvin & Hobbs comic stips concerning snowmen. Remember, I am not affiliated with this external link and you should always use discression when surfing the internet. Here is the link. Enjoy!

Ryan

Tags: Relax, fun

In English Composition 2 class we are discussing poetry, and Mr. Profitt brought in a few poems for us to listen to. Later, I was able to find them online where they are readily distributed. So, I decided I would pass a couple of them on to you. The first one is Flames, and the second is Marginalia. They are both neat little poems. Enjoy!

Ryan

Tags: fun

We ventured out into the blistering cold this fine evening to go, where else, but ice skating! It's been a while since I have been ice skating and I couldn't wait! There were eight of us in the group, and we had an absolute blast! It was very crowded tonight, but it provided a fun obstacle course We skated for around 1 1/2 hours before heading out to the always acceptable Starbucks. I tried to take a lot of pictures which you can see here. Hope your night was as enjoyable as mine!

Ryan

Tags: Iceskate, fun, Friends

I was recently reacquainted with a game I recieved a couple of years ago for Christmas. I ran across it while at home on break and brought it back to school with me. I have since become slightly addicted. The game is essentailly a mind puzzle. Each of the cars on the board have their own track that they follow either up or down, or left or right. The object of the game is to get the red car through the opeing on the other side of the board. It comes with 40 cards that give you various setups, beginning with easy levels and moving to expert. You have to shift the cars all around in order to find the right pattern to allow the red car to escape. There can be up to 50 different steps (expert level) in order for this to occur. It is a remarkably fun game, if you enjoy puzzles.

Ryan

Tags: Toy, fun, Rushhour

Some friends and I ventured out into the blistering cold (ha ha) weather tonight to the Newport area. They have a bookstore there with a balcony where I was able to take some cool shots. We then walked across the Purple People Bridge and circled back on a parallel bridge. It was a blast and alot of fun was had by all.

Ryan

Tags: fun, Friends, Relax, Cincinnati

We traveled up by Detroit to my Uncle Dan's house today and I went ice skating with my cousins Amber & Clayton Plemmons, and their friends, the Don Newport family. We all had a good time, and believe it or not I didn't even fall. We are going to the iMax tomorrow for my birthday. Have a great day.

Ryan

Tags: Family, fun, Family, Iceskate

We arrived at the cabin in WV around 9:00 P.M. Monday night. After unpacking and choosing bunks we played a few games of Amish Dice. We then retired and waited for the action to start tomorrow. I should pause here and give you a few significant details. First, one of our main purposes of this trip was to bring as many guns as we could and just have fun shooting them. Growing up, my brother and I used to set up army men in the back flower garden and shoot them with bb guns. So, my brother, Andy, had the brilliant idea to recreate this fun memory. I brought my bb gun and he brought his and we went at it. As much as I hate to admit it, I was soundly defeated in this endeavor. But to this day I'll blame it on faulty sites! Also, during that first night it rained profusely! It really pounded down in torrents on the roof of that cabin. This is significant considering another one of our objectives for this weekend was to go ATV'ing. Can you say mudholes OK, now we can move on to Tuesday, the 26. After putzin around the cabin for a while Andy and I decided to go on our ATV trip. Andy's vehicle of choice was a Honda 3-wheeler, and mine was a Suzuki 4-wheeler. So, we set off. After some light riding around the cabin we decided to head off, planning to be back in 20 min.... 2-3 hours later we returned. But man what a trip! The recent rain left the trails and roads with deep mudholes. We both came close to getting stuck, but with a little effort we managed to escape. There were many beautiful sites, including a number of deer. I will spare you the tale of every stream crossed, and mudhole conquered and simply tell you we had a blast and arrived back at the cabin where Andy made chili and venison steak. The rest of the day consisted of Uno, a quick trip to town, Amish Dice, and more eating. We then retired, sad that tomorrow would end it all. We awoke the next morning to the beginnings of a beautiful day! Andy and I set off again for the trails, this time with my camera in tow. We were disappointed to find that the water had significantly subsided in the night and we were not able to capture the full ATV experience of the day before. Still, we had a lot of fun and took a lot of pictures. You can see them here. We then returned to the cabin, packed up and headed out. We arrived at Andy's house around 4:30 that night and I arrived back at my house around 8:00. All in all it was an amazing weekend with many good memories made.

Ryan

Tags: Break, fun, Family, Relax, Photography, ATV

Hey Everyone, I know this is a bit late, but Happy Thanksgiving! Things have been so busy around here with school, set construction, and narration practice that I haven't had time to post much. I trust you had a good Thanksgiving. Mine was excellent! We went to my Grandparents house in Ohio and spent time with family. Although two of my uncles were not able to attend because of transportation problems. I ate a lot of good food and did a lot of relaxing/sleeping We left there Friday afternoon to return to my home in Michigan where I stayed until I returned to campus on Monday. Overall it was a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend. These next two weeks will be very hectic as I head into the Christmas play and finals. Please remember me in your prayers! Have a great day!

Ryan

Tags: Family, fun, Break, Return

A lot has happened since my last post. To start with I am really enjoying helping out with set construction, and I am learning many new things. Friday afternoon was spent helping with set construction, and then I went with about 20 other GBS students ice skating at a local ice skating rink. I really enjoyed this and can't wait to go back (I didn't even fall!). We got back from there around 11:00 P.M. and we continued working on set construction till about 3:30 A.M.! I slept in very late Saturday morning, and then went out to eat with a couple friends. We then went to Starbucks and met up with a few other GBS'ers and played games until it was time to return to campus. It was a really fun time. If you want to see a few pictures of the ice skating escapade just go to the Photography page. Have a good day!

Tags: Weekend, GBS, fun, Friends

Well, I was headed north on Interstate 71 Saturday afternoon when the thought suddenly occurred to me, "Why don't I just pop up to Andy and Jenn's for the day?" Well, It was only a 2 1/2 hour drive, and I was already headed in that direction anyway...so I did it. Unbeknownst to me Seth and Jordanna were there visiting for the weekend so I was able to see a lot of friends and family! I took a lot of pictures of the kids and posted the pictures on the Photography Page. I had originally planned on coming back that night, but was convinced to spend the night and attend church with them in the morning. It was a very relaxing weekend, and I arrived back on campus around 7:30 tonight. Well, I have met my spontaneity quota for the month Enjoy the pictures.

Tags: fun, Family, Relax

We got back from choir tour at 11:30 Sunday (11/5) night. What a blast! We traveled down to Pennsylvania and went to three God’s Missionary churches, Lebanon, Beavertown, and New Columbia. It is always interesting when you get over 50 college students on a bus for 20+ hours! There are a lot of interesting little stories that came out of it. One of the highlights of the trip was our visit to Hershey’s Chocolate World. While the theme park was closed for the season, we were able to ride through an artificial tour of the chocolate making process. A good time was had by all. I put a new batch of photos from the trip in the Photography main page . Well, I guess that’s it for now. Will post more soon.

Ryan

Tags: Choir, Music, fun, Friends, Relax